A wooden platter of Tushetian lamb khinkali with a small dish of black pepper in a mountain setting.

Yield20 large khinkali

Serving2 dumplings per person; 10 servings

DifficultyIntermediate

DietDairy-free; contains wheat (gluten)

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The dish

About Tushetian Khinkali

Hand-pleated boiled dumplings with chopped lamb and the mountain seasoning associated with Tusheti.

Tushetian khinkali are generous dumplings filled with lamb, folded into a pleated pouch and boiled. Local Tushetian accounts describe meat chopped by hand and seasoned with wild kvliavi, sometimes glossed as water savory. This version uses ground caraway as a practical stand-in when the wild plant is unavailable; it is not an exact substitute.

The dough is a firm mix of flour, water and salt, with no egg or leavening. Lamb shoulder is chopped into small pieces rather than turned into a smooth paste. A little cold water helps the filling hold together and keeps it juicy inside the sealed dumpling.

Make twenty large khinkali, then boil them in two batches so they have room to move. Gather the dough into close pleats and twist the crown shut. Cook until the dough is tender and the lamb filling reaches a safe temperature; floating is only a timing cue. Serve hot, simply seasoned with black pepper if you like.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Tushetian Khinkali

Dough

600 gwhite all-purpose flour, plus extra only for dusting
300 mlcool or room-temperature water
8 gfine salt

Lamb filling

800 glamb shoulder, trimmed and hand-chopped into small pieces; keep cold
100 mlcold water, added gradually
12 gfine salt
2 gground black pepper
4 gground caraway, a practical stand-in for local wild kvliavi

Boiling water

4litres water
20 gfine salt

Method

Mix and rest the dough. Combine the flour and 8 g salt. Gradually add 300 ml water, kneading for 10–12 minutes until the dough is smooth and very firm. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Season the lamb. On a clean board reserved for raw meat, hand-chop the cold lamb into small pieces. Mix with 12 g salt, black pepper and caraway. Add 100 ml cold water gradually, mixing until the filling is moist and cohesive. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the dough rounds.
Divide and roll. Divide the rested dough into 20 pieces of about 45 g each. Keep unused pieces covered. Roll each into a 12–14 cm round, leaving the centre slightly thicker than the edge.
Fill and pleat. Place about 46 g lamb filling in the centre of each round. Gather the edge into close pleats, pinch firmly to seal and twist the top. Set the dumplings apart on a floured tray; refrigerate them if they will wait more than a few minutes.
Boil in batches. Bring 4 litres water and 20 g salt to a steady boil in a large pot. Lower in 8–10 dumplings at a time and stir carefully once to prevent sticking. Keep the water boiling steadily and cook for about 12–14 minutes. Floating is a timing cue, not proof that the meat is safe.
Check and serve. Lift out one of the largest dumplings from each batch and carefully cut it open. Check the centre of the lamb filling with a food thermometer; it must reach at least 71.1°C. If needed, return the batch to the boil and check again. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve hot with black pepper if desired.
Cool and reheat leftovers. Put leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at or below 4°C; use within 3–4 days. Reheat until steaming and at least 74°C at the centre, checked with a food thermometer.

Practical guidance

Tips for success

Keep the dough covered and the lamb filling cold while shaping.
Leave the centre of each dough round a little thicker than its edge so it can hold the juicy filling.
Pinch the pleated crown firmly shut. A small leak can let the broth escape during boiling.

Practical notes

Shape an even pouch. Keep the dough round flat in one hand, add the filling, then lift small sections of the edge into pleats. Pinch the gathered top closed before twisting off excess dough.

Use the right spice. Local wild kvliavi is associated with Tushetian khinkali and is distinguished from cumin in a Tusheti account. Ground caraway is the practical substitute here; cumin has a different flavour.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

Serving size: 2 of 20 khinkali
Energy: About 400 kcal
Carbohydrates: About 46 g
Protein: About 21 g
Fat: About 13 g
Fibre: About 2 g
Sodium: About 900 mg

Estimate based on the whole batch divided into ten two-dumpling servings, using typical values for white flour and trimmed lamb shoulder. The estimate includes the 20 g salt in the dough and filling but excludes the salt in the discarded boiling water. Lamb trim and flour enrichment vary.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat (gluten). Keep raw lamb chilled while preparing it, use a separate cutting board, and wash hands and tools after contact with raw meat. Cook the lamb filling to at least 71.1°C, checked in a large dumpling from each batch; a floating dumpling or hot broth alone is not a temperature check. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours at or below 4°C, use within 3–4 days, and reheat to at least 74°C at the centre. Check ingredient labels for other allergens and possible cross-contact.

The result

Firm, pleated dough holds chopped lamb and its savoury juices.
A restrained caraway seasoning evokes the local wild kvliavi without claiming to reproduce it exactly.